ARE Rates Correlate with Construction, Economic Health, High School Graduates
Construction trends and the health of the economy are the factors most likely to influence the number of candidates for the Architectural Registration Exam (ARE), an AIA-commissioned study reports. The consultant, Guideline, studied data provided by the Institute, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), state registration boards, and other environmental records to consider how various demographic, economic, and social trends have impacted the number of architects seeking registration in the past 10 years. Researchers found that the 17 states with the highest number of exams taken and passed from 1997–2004 usually were among the states with growth higher than the U.S. average in several categories. The study also indicates that changes in numbers of high school graduates influence and may be indicators for the number of potential enrollees in architecture programs.

Smithsonian American History Museum Undergoing Makeover
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., closed on September 5 for a large-scale, nearly two-year architectural renovation. Opened in 1964, the museum has never undergone a renovation of this magnitude. It will reopen in the summer of 2008. The renovation will focus on three areas: architectural enhancements to the museum’s interior, construction of a state-of-the-art gallery for the Star-Spangled Banner, and an updated infrastructure. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill will be responsible for new design and construction, and New York-based Chermayeff & Geismar Inc. will work with SOM on the new permanent gallery for the Star-Spangled Banner.

Ed Bacon Continues to Make His Mark
State historical marker honors city planner’s life and achievements
The City of Brotherly Love honored the life, legacy, and accomplishments of its most famous city planner, Edmund N. Bacon, with the dedication of a State Historical Marker on September 13. Of Bacon’s role in shaping the city, Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell said: “His enthusiasm for his work and great love of his native city were an inspiration to me and so many others. I hope that people who see this marker will remember his contributions to the design of the city.” Sponsored by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and the Ed Bacon Foundation, the marker praises Bacon’s achievements in “shap[ing] Philadelphia’s city landscape.”

AIA Hosts Symposium on Precarious Cities at Venice Biennale
The AIA, in conjunction with the State Department and Architectural Record magazine, helped organize the U.S. entry to the Venice Biennale, which features the submissions and winners of the Architectural Record/Tulane University competition for visionary proposals and designs for housing for New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. The entry and related biennale programs draw attention to the role of architects in helping cities in precarious environments, like New Orleans. The symposium took place September 9 outside the U.S. pavilion at the biennale, one of the largest international architecture exhibitions in the world.